Latest “Resident Evil” Re-invention Delivers Plenty of Scares
The “Resident Evil” movie franchise has had its ups and downs over the years. While critics have mainly panned the movies, eager fans have turned them into huge successes at the box office. In 2021, the franchise hit a rough patch with the movie reboot “Welcome to Raccoon City” (which I thought was OK) and then the Netflix 2022 series that was cancelled after a single season.
Now, the franchise is back in a brand new way and fans of both the video game franchise and the horror genre in general should definitely give this re-invention a chance!
From the mind of Zach Cregger, who brought us “Weapons” and “Barbarian,” comes a thrilling and terrifying re-invention of the franchise. In an all-new story, “Resident Evil” follows Bryan, a medical courier who unwittingly finds himself in an action-packed, non-stop race for survival as one fateful, horrifying night collapses around him in chaos.
Now, even though this “Resident Evil” re-imaging isn’t based on any of the existing games in the overall video game franchise, it’s still a very great watch and fans of the games should give it a chance. “Resident Evil” does a decent job capturing the authentic, immersive feeling of playing the survival-horror video game.
Unlike the previous movie adaptations (particularly the Milla Jovovich movies) that are pretty much action-adventure movies, this iteration will have fans of the game loving how it recaptures the frantic, survival-horror roots. The latest "Resident Evil” also relies on well-earned jump scares (a few of which really did surprise the audience at a showing I attended), isolation and a high-tension progression that really makes you feel as though you are experiencing the game firsthand.
I really enjoy the character of the hapless medical courier Bryan. It’s actually quite refreshing to see someone in this kind of movie act like a normal person experiencing the chaos and mayhem rather than some kind of typical hero.
Just seeing how Bryan reacts to some of the monsters and chaos can actually be a little hilarious and we also get to see him realistically struggle to load a magazine and even
find weapon safeties. The character’s charm and lack of survival skills actually makes him an immensely likable character and someone to easily root for.
Also, for the gaming community, you’ll really enjoy how the movie utilizes a unique third person camera tacking - often moving directly behind the main character or over the shoulder - mirroring the classic gameplay perspectives and heightened claustrophobia.
“Resident Evil” also featured quite a few intense moments that really stand out. Early in the movie, Bryan gets trapped in an isolated farmhouse with a couple of the infected people. And, after thinking the danger is over after shooting the infected, the infected actually get stitched together into one horrific, contorted amalgamation that actually tracks him down throughout the rest of the movie.
Some of the other stand out moments include: the practical “raining bodies” scene (where some of the infected just drop down from many stories around Bryan - parts of the sequence were shown in the trailers, a highly intense sequence in a snowy, dark tunnel and several little moments that hardcore game fans can easily notice (including some Easter eggs and references).
While casual audiences and critics love the movie’s tense, claustrophobic atmosphere, some hardcore fans have been slightly frustrated with the new “Resident Evil.” Because the narrative focuses on a brand new character and omits any legacy protagonists in favor of a stand alone story, some lore enthusiasts felt it deviated too far from a game adaptation. Now, even though I’m just a casual fan of the games, it’s still a fun, intense and scary watch so give it a shot!
Cast: Austin Abrams (Bryan); Zach Cherry (Carl); Kali Rais (Maxine); Paul Walter Hauser (Paul); Will Merrick (Dave); Zoe Bellas (Birdie)
Writer/director: Shay Hatten (writer) (Ballerina; John Wick 4); Zach Cregger (Weapons; Barbarian) (director)
MPA: Rated R for strong bloody violence, gore, and language throughout (running time 94 minutes)
After grabbing the shotgun, Bryan rips open every single drawer in the house in order to find bullets. Inside one of the drawers is a box of Heavy Field shotgun shells, the very same that the player finds in Resident Evil 4.
The medical box holding what Bryan is assigned to deliver resembles the First Aid Box found in the first game's remake.
Zach Cregger said the way he directed the movie, was because he wanted audiences to feel like they were playing Resident Evil in their head while watching the film.
To capture the feel of playing the games, Zach Cregger used camera angles straight out of them. The first-person views looking down the sights of aimed weapons are the most noticeable, but they're far from the only ones. Third-person and over-the-shoulder angles also appear and shift as Bryan aims and moves. Cregger also utilized high-angled fixed cameras to mimic the early games. A great example is when Bryan reaches the top of the farmhouse stairs. The camera is far back, high in the corner on the opposite wall, giving the audience a familiar, awkward vantage point.
Zach Cregger confirmed that, had Capcom not accepted his pitch, he wrote the script so that it could easily be reworked into a divorced generic, original survival horror film.
When Bryan enters the seemingly abandoned house he explores each room and turns on the light in an office upstairs, where a typewriter is shown. A typewriter is used throughout the earlier games as a location to save your progress, though it only works if you have a special ink ribbons. The ink ribbons are found lying around, and there aren't many: so you really have to apply some strategy if/when you decide to save your game. The typewriter usually lets the player know that they're in a safe location.
With a 96% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes as of September 2026, this is the best-reviewed Resident Evil film (and the only one to receive a "fresh" score) and the best-reviewed film based on a video game full-stop.
Zach Cregger has stated in multiple interviews that this movie will be an original story set in the universe of Resident Evil and not an adaptation of any storyline told in the game series.
While Zach Cregger was happy with the film he made, this will serve as his first and last foray into franchise filmmaking due to the enormous amount of pressure regarding living up to fan expectations.
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